Since the early 1970's, the importance of fiber in health and disease has received an increasing amount of attention from consumers. Research to date has provided a body of evidence which enhances the role of fiber in human metabolism. In preventative medicine applications, fiber has been mentioned as having possible value in a variety of areas, among which there may be mentioned constipation, weight reduction, diverticulitis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. As a result, considerable efforts have been expended in the development of fiber-containing foods and snacks. Although there are many physiological claims to the benefits of dietary fiber, since different fiber components have very different physiological functions, the daily level of dietary fiber recommended to achieve a particular physiological effect will vary with the type of fiber ingested. Additionally, since dietary fiber products characteristically have an unpleasant taste and mouthfeel, a relatively low amount of fiber is present in such products in relation to the other food or snack ingredients. Thus, ingestion of large amounts of currently available fiber-containing foods or snacks is generally required in order to attain a sufficient level of fiber within the body to achieve a particular physiological function.
Ideally, a tablet containing a high amount of dietary fiber which can be chewed or swallowed several times a day as, for example, before and after meals, would be most advantageous in maintaining a desired level of fiber in the diet. Attempts have been made in the past to prepare high-fiber tableted compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,702 discloses dietary food products which can be formed into gelatin tablets containing dietary fiber. Belgium Patent No. 881,168 discloses a high protein dietary product containing some fiber prepared in the form of a tablet, but this tablet is a heat-treated, molded article.
In a broad sense, tablets may be classified according to their method of manufacture, i.e., molded tablets or compressed tablets. Molded tablets or tablet triturates, originally made from moist materials in a triturate mold, can now usually be made on tablet machines, generally in small scale operations. Compressed tablets, on the other hand, are the most widely used dosage form since they are convenient to use, deliver the intended dose with a high degree of accuracy, and are capable of being produced by large scale processes. Among the methods for preparing compressed tablets, the wet granulation method is the most popular due to the increased probability that the granulation will meet all the physical requirements for compression into good tablets. Well made compressed tablets possess certain attributes, among which there may be mentioned sufficient strength to withstand handling and shipping prior to use, freedom from defects such as cracks and chipped edges, reasonable storage stability and the ability to release active ingredients in a reproducible and predictable manner. Thus, although much is known concerning the methods for obtaining high-quality compressed tablets, the prior art does not disclose the preparation of high-density, compressed-tablet fiber- compositions.